Chris Cowdrey, the son of the late Lord Cowdrey, has divorced his Swedish
wife, Christel, after 24 years of marriage.

While Chris Cowdrey was in hospital undergoing three stitches in a knee injury two years ago, he suffered a heart attack. Now, the former England cricket captain is recovering from a different sort of injury.

The 56-year-old son of the late Lord Cowdrey of Tonbridge tells Mandrake that he has divorced his wife, Christel, after 24 years of marriage.

“It’s very sad, but, yes, the marriage is over,” he says. “Our divorce was finalised earlier this year.”

Cowdrey, who has, arguably, the most famous name in cricket, has left the house near Maidstone, in Kent, that he shared with his Swedish sweetheart, whom he married on New Year’s Day, 1989.

The couple have twin sons, Julius and Fabian, aged 20. Fabian was awarded a first-team contract at Kent in 2011 and became the third generation of his family to feature on the county’s team sheet.

Chris’s father, Colin Cowdrey, who died in 2000, aged 67, was one of the sport’s most celebrated figures. In his record-breaking career, he became the first England cricketer to play 100 Test matches, the most prolific Test batsman and the first batsman to make centuries against six countries, among other achievements.

Colin and Chris Cowdrey were only the second father and son combination to have both captained England, emulating Frank and George Mann. Chris’s brother, Graham, also played for Kent.

Chris, who played six Tests for England, including one as captain, before injury prevented his progress, has spoken of how grateful he was that his cardiac arrest happened while he was in hospital.

“People always said I was a lucky player and, if you’re going to have a heart attack anywhere, the middle of a hospital is probably it,” he said.

Chris, who was educated at Tonbridge School in Kent, forged a career as a commentator after his cricket career ended, becoming a regular member of BBC Radio 4’s Test Match Special team before moving to TalkSport alongside Geoffrey Boycott. He later joined Sky Television.